'Won't Let Maharashtra Turn into West Bengal': Union Min Narayan Rane

The Maharashtra government has told the Bombay High Court that no coercive action will be taken till 17 September.

Union Cabinet Minister Narayan Rane and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Image used for representation. 

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

The Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, 25 August, that it would not take any coercive action against Union Minister Narayan Rane in the FIR filed by the Nashik Cyber Police over his “slap Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray” remark.

Rane later addressed a press conference and said that “the rule of law governs our country,” and taking a dig at Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said that he "won’t let Maharashtra become West Bengal".

“What did I say that there was so much anger? Maharashtra chief minister himself has said many controversial statements," Rane said and asked if a case shouldn’t be filed on Thackeray’s statements and gave a few examples:

• "During a ‘bhumi pujan’ event, Thackeray had said that whoever eyes the Shiv Sena Bhavan with the wrong intention, they will be beaten. Does this not warrant a case under 120B?"

• “Is he a Yogi or a ‘dhongi’? He should be hit with slippers. Is this correct to say for another chief minister?

Rane defended his statement saying, “Whatever I said was said for the nation. He who doesn’t know about his country’s independence, wouldn’t have pride for his country. I couldn’t tolerate this.”

Further, Rane criticised Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ and its executive editor Sanjay Raut, and said it’s not worth to be called a newsletter.

Rane added that he will stand firm with what he said and claimed that he hadn’t said anything wrong. He also announced that he will resume his Jan Ashirwad Yatra from Sindhudurg on Friday, 27 August, and thanked his party leaders for standing behind him.

Rane had filed a petition on Wednesday morning before the high court seeking to quash the FIR against him and the Bombay High Court is slated to hear the plea next on 17 September.